1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to disposal of spent materials and catalyst/sorbent treatment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of prior art patents have taught the immobilization of heavy metals in industrial wastes to make the waste suitable for disposal in a sanitary landfill, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,142,912 to Young; U.S. Pat. No. 4,268,188 to Bertus, et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,149,968 to Kupiec, et al; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,837,872 to Connor. Bertus, et al teach the immobilization of metal contaminants in petroleum conversion or cracking catalysts by treatment of tin or indium or their compounds. Kupiec, et al teach the immobilization of heavy metals by treating an alkaline slurry of waste with a mixture of bentonite clay and Portland cement. However, the present invention provides a new way of immobilizing nickel and vanadium using specific selected alkaline earth compounds, which depending on the choice can be cheap, readily available industrial chemicals.